Body Painting Therapy

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I do not have scientific proof for the benefits of body painting therapy. I do know that body painting can be therapeutic in many ways. The process of transformation is a long and tiresome process but despite this it is very relaxing and soothing for the person becoming art. It allows for a time of disconnect. The real world starts fading away as a new reality emerges in which the model is the main character. This also brings an effect of amusement to those who are observing the process. Believe me, looking at the product of the body painting doesn’t compare to witnessing the process.

11913543_10150633010174956_5469731122178626958_oBody painting allows a person to see something about them that is often hidden deep inside. I try to design and paint on a person something that I see in their personality or character. “More than meets the eye” is often said but how often we allow to dig deeper inside ourselves to see what others see in us? It is easy to look inside someone else and see what we don’t see. By painting on someone, I aim to allow them to see what I see about them so they can see it too. It is art even when I paint a generic design on someone, but it becomes therapy when the vision of the artist is linked to the person being painted.

11794358_10150618692239956_92252936253241039_oAs you may know by now, I don’t just do things for the sake of art or entertainment. I am looking for something else of deep value in everything I do. I am looking for some way to impact the lives of those who encounter my art in some way. The Art of Iván Tirado LLC is much more than just traditional painting and sculpting. Paintings and sculptures are dead if they have no connection to people. The value of speaking and teaching about these things abides in what people can use to make even a slight difference in their lives. It is no different with body painting.

11792121_10150618608369956_5051371325249546126_oWhat if I could see in a person what he or she stopped seeing about himself or herself? What if that vision serves a purpose of healing? What if transforming a person in what is not seen with the naked eye allows to grow and boost self-confidence and a new appreciation of the self? What if body painting is used to help people as a form of therapy?

Visit the Body Painting page.

Answering The Call

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USSEA ConfThis past weekend I participated in the United States Society for Education Through the Arts (USSEA) and the International Society for Education Through Art (InSEA) conference which turned out to be a fantastic experience. Tim Rollins said during his key note, “You answered the call”. My mind began celebrating the choices I made when it comes to art and education and how the academic preparation along with the experiences in the last 20 years are shaping together a calling I can’t refuse.  What if by answering the call to use the tools, skills, and gifts God had given me I make a difference in someone’s life?

Too many people are concerned about what they can do for the world and just a few pay attention to the impact we can have in individuals. Reaching as many people as we can reach is important and the effort should not be dismissed. However, there is something I learned from the life of Jesus: multitudes will chant your name and at the first chance they have they will turn against you. Multitudes will scatter at the first chance they have but those individuals who had been impacted by your life and teaching will always come back and carry on the vision. That impact is the result of answering the call and do what you do best and do it with love and passion. It is the result of paying attention to the specific needs of the individual and to serve that person as if no one else exists, even if it is for just a few minutes.

As a matter of fact, some individuals are just longing for someone who can acknowledge them at least for a minute. Near us is someone who lacked validation and affirmation from the people closer to them. When we serve them with what we do and what we know they recognize their own value as a person and that finding can unlock a great amount of great things in life. This is why I teach. This is why I have so much passion to share the little I know with everyone I can. It is fantastic to know there are other people all over the world with the same passion. Kudos to all of you who spend time and resources to make a difference through art and education. Thank you for answering the call.

 Join us at one of our sculpting and painting parties!

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Acquiescence

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Life Incomplete

Life Incomplete

“I am not satisfied yet.” “I am not done.” “I am still working on this.” “In progress.” When I am working on a sculpture or a painting I post pictures on social media of the progress and process. Sometimes I take short videos to give viewers a feel of it. Interestingly, some people acquire the pieces before they are complete because of the connection that grows on them seeing the process. It is like they are participating in the creation process. I find it an honor for people to trust me with the finished piece.

On the other hand, I find some people who are not interested in acquiring a piece but are very fast to make comments on them. I appreciate the comments as well. The comments that I find more interesting are those on unfinished pieces saying “Leave it like that”, or “I like it as it is”. Why are those comments interesting to me? If a piece is in progress it means that I am not done yet, therefore I am not going to leave it like that. It is not finished. There is only one person who can tell when an art piece is finished and that is the artist himself. Incomplete is not better than complete.

Those comments make me think of acquiescence. Acquiescence is one of those words that I can hardly pronounce correctly. I found it by looking at the dictionary searching for other expressions for a phrase I heard recently: “passive resignation”. How many times do we apply acquiescence in our lives? How many times do we accept things “as is” without questioning? We often “go with the flow” without asking or questioning if there is something else for us. We often prefer to live unfinished. There is no reason, no need, and no rush to accept less of what our lives could be. Even when we might feel or think we already reached completeness, whatever the process we are in right now, only The Artist can tell when we are complete.

The Three Questions

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10523574_10154416948040352_5482798350173074326_nNow that May is over and June is here the excitement of a new adventure grows. As I get ready for training for my new job as  part-time faculty at Quinnipiac University, I’ve been going over the textbook for the Inquiry Based Learning course I’ll be teaching A More Beautiful Question by Warren Berger. It is a very interesting book which explores the habit of questioning. It presents three questions shaping the process of change and applicable to many areas of life. The three questions are:

  • Why?
  • What if?
  • How?

The first question “Why?” establishes conscience of the status quo and questions it. We get used to the status quo and continue living in it without taking time to ask ourselves “why are we doing this?” or “why are we doing this way?”. We can question the question itself. Without questioning the status quo we can’t perceive the possibilities of change and there is where the second question comes into place. “What if?” paints a picture of a desired scenario. “What if things were different?” “What if we could change what we have now to what we need?” We can think of opportunities for change with that question. Of course, we need a bridge between the current and the preferred scenario.

We can’t stop at dreaming of a different situation. It is necessary to move into action. Many won’t get pass the “What if?” but some will. “How?” is the process of connecting the “Why?” and the “What if?”. Here is where change happens. It is a process and it requires effort and hard work. That is why many don’t cross the bridge. Those who dare to cross the bridge achieve the realization of their dream.

June is here with new opportunities to question and start crossing the bridge. We get that opportunity each day. I want to invite you to give yourself a chance and try something different. Check out the sculpting and painting parties. It will help you disconnect to connect back and change your perspective on challenge and these parties are a lot of fun too. I want to invite you to also join the conversation Wednesday, June 3 for a live chat broadcast of the Creative Chat Cafe. You might find something inspiring and motivating to make your way across the bridge.

Embrace Change

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ReverieThe definition of ‘change’ in the dictionary points out to ‘make it different’. Simple enough. Change doesn’t have to be drastic, although it is often perceived that way. Changing little things also make a big difference and can propel to greater more drastic changes. Sometimes changes come without invitation in the form of opportunities. That is also a good thing. Some people need that extra push towards change. I like and embrace change. If I was as flexible with my body as I am with adapting to the surrounding situations I could make a good contortionist.

I would hate to live the same things over and over again for many years. It makes me think of Forest Gump and how there were the same people doing the same thing for years and years. My hometown is like that too. I love my hometown of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. The feeling of revisiting my roots is always great and makes me realize I couldn’t stay there. People do the same things they did when I was a little kid. If they had no successors they left an empty space, a building falling apart along with the memories. In very few cases they left the task to their children who are now doing exactly the same. I couldn’t do that. I have so much to see and do elsewhere.

Looking back at the goals I designed for myself I can’t be anything but thankful. My life changes constantly. Some changes are drastic, but others are small and building up in multiple directions. At the beginning of the year I had some goals that multiplied and others that stopped or slowed down. I was looking one way to accomplish something but opportunities came from a different direction (and keep coming) to accomplish something else. Life keeps moving and goals keep reshaping themselves. It is perfect!

Living under the lie that we can plan and control everything in our lives will only leave us disappointments. Don’t get me wrong: planning is important. However, being capable of flexibility and adaptation to changes is even more important. Rigid trees break with the wind. Flexible ones move with and stay planted and strong. Embrace change!

Speaking About It

WorkBench: Sculpt Your Brain

Join us for this talk
Thursday, May 21, 12:00 pm at The Grove, 760 Chapel Street, New Haven, CT

Free admittance: More Info and RSVP

Join our Sculpting and Painting Parties

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